Death is a part of every person’s life; in this article we explore ten of the strangest deaths that have occurred in recorded history.
1. Francis Bacon (22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) [Britannica]
Manner of death: Stuffing snow into a chicken
Francis Bacon; statesman, philosopher, creator of the English essay, and advocate for the scientific revolution (he established “The Scientific Method” still used today), was one of very few people to die as a result of one of their own experiments.
In 1625, whilst gazing out the window at a snowy afternoon, Sir Francis Bacon had an epiphany of sorts. Why would snow not work as preservative of meat in much the same way salt is used? Needing to know and unheeding of the weather, Bacon rushed to town to purchase a chicken, brought it home and began the experiment. Standing outside in the snow, he killed the chicken and tried to stuff it with snow. The experiment was a failure; the chicken didn’t freeze, and as a consequence of standing around in the freezing weather, Bacon developed a terminal case of pneumonia. Trying to stave off the inevitable, Bacon roasted and ate the chicken. That too was a failed experiment. He died.
2. Horace Wells (January 21, 1815 – January 24, 1848) [Britannica]
Manner of death: Used anesthetics to commit suicide
An American dentist, born in Vermont and educated in Boston, Horace Wells was one of the pioneers in the field of anesthesia. Weary of screaming patients, (it was known to upset him terribly, he often debated leaving the field of dentistry altogether), he was one of the first practitioners to see the value of nitrous oxide or laughing gas as an anesthetic.
After a failed experiment and falling out of favor with the medical community, Wells became a traveling anesthetic salesman and European expert for his former partner, Gardner Quincy Colton. His ‘investigations’ led to a chloroform addiction that would be his down-fall. In 1848, delirious and deranged after a week of self-experimentation, Wells ran into the street and assaulted two prostitutes with sulfuric acid. He was arrested and confined at New York’s infamous Tombs Prison. Recovering from the drug induced psychosis; the true horror of his actions came home to roost. Unable to live with this shame, Wells committed suicide by first inhaling a substantial dose of chloroform and then slitting his femoral artery.
3. Tycho Brahe (December 14, 1546 – October 24, 1601) [Britannica]
Manner of death: Didn’t get to the toilet in time
Famous as an alchemist and astronomer, Brahe’s pioneering observations of planetary motion paved the way for Sir Isaac Newton to develop the theory of gravity.
Unfortunately brilliance and common sense do not always go hand in hand, the manner of his death being the case in point. Known to have a weak bladder and knowing that it was very bad form to leave the banquet table before the festivities concluded, Brahe still neglected to relieve himself before dinner. To compound matters, he was known to drink excessively, and this particular banquet was no exception. Too polite to ask to be excused, his bladder strained causing a protracted (11 day), agonizing death. Whether he died of a burst bladder or hyponatremia (low levels of sodium in the blood) or mercury poisoning is now debated.
Note: this is very similar to an event in which a lady died recently in a competition entitled “Hold Your Wee for a Wii”. She died of hyponatremia.
4. Attila the Hun (406 – 453) [Britannica]
Manner of death: He got a nosebleed on his wedding night
History’s most brilliant tactician, warlord, and notorious villain, Attila the Hun conquered all of Asia by 450 AD. Using a combination of fierce combat and ruthless assimilation, Mongolia to the very edge of the Russian Empire fell to Attila and his armies.
Known for his frugal eating and drinking habits, Attila must have thought that his own wedding was an occasion to celebrate. Marrying a young girl named Ildico, in 453 AD; he over-indulged in both food and drink. Sometime after retiring for the evening, his nose started to bleed. Too drunk to notice, it continued to bleed, ultimately drowning him in his own blood.
5. Aeschylus [Αἰσχύλος] (525 BC/524 BC – 456 BC) [Britannica]
Manner of death: An eagle dropped a tortoise on his head
Considered the founder of tragedy, Aeschylus is the first of the three ancient Greek playwrights whose work still survives. He expanded the characters of a play so that there was conflict between them instead of actors solely interacting with the chorus. Sophocles and Euripides famously followed in his footsteps.
While visiting Gela on the island of Sicily, legend has it that an eagle, mistaking Aeschylus’ bald pate for a stone, dropped a tortoise on his head killing him. Some accounts differ, stating that a stone was dropped on his head, the eagle mistaking his shining crown for an egg. This is not as far-fetched as it seems. The Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture is native to the Mediterranean, and is known to drop bones and tortoises on rocks to break them open.
6. King Adolf Frederick of Sweden (May 14, 1710 – February 12, 1771) [Britannica]
Manner of death: Eating too much pudding
Adolph’s Frederick was the titular King of Sweden from 1751 – 1771. The omnipotent Riksdag or senate held the reins of power despite Adolphus’ best efforts to wrest it from them.
Another victim of personal excess, Adophus Frederick is known by Swedish children as “the king who ate himself to death”. On February 12, 1771, after partaking of a banquet consisting of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, smoked herring and champagne he moved on to his favorite dessert, Semla, a traditional bun or pastry made from semolina/wheat flour, served in a bowl of hot milk. One or two portions would have been sufficient; 14 servings was excessive. He died shortly thereafter of digestion problems.
7. Grigori Rasputin [Григо́рий Ефи́мович Распу́тин] (January 22, 1869 – December 29, 1916) [Britannica]
Manner of death: Drowning after being poisoned, shot, stabbed, and bludgeoned
The Mad Monk, Grigori Rasputin, was a peasant and mystic healer who found favor with the royal court of Russia by providing relief to Crown Prince Aleksey, a hemophiliac and heir to the throne.
Wielding much influence on the royal court, the unkempt, vulgar, and amazingly resilient Rasputin made many political enemies. He had to go; much easier said than done. The conspirators first tried poison, enough poison to kill a man three times his size, but he seemed unaffected. Next they snuck up behind him and shot him in the head. This should have done it, but no; while one of the assassins was checking his pulse, the mystic grabbed the conspirator by the neck and proceeded to strangle him. Running away, the would-be assassins took up the chase, shooting him 3 times in the process. The gunshots slowed him down enough to allow his pursuers to catch-up. They then proceeded to bludgeon him before throwing him in the icy cold river (Russian winter). When his body was recovered an autopsy showed that the cause of death was drowning.
8. Isadora Duncan (May 27, 1877 – September 14, 1927) [Britannica]
Manner of death: Strangulation and a broken neck
Isadora Duncan is widely considered as the mother of Modern Dance. Born in San Francisco, California, Dora Angela Duncan was the product of divorced parents; her father a disgraced banker and her mother and pianist and music teacher. Her free form style was never very popular in her home country, but she found great success after immigrating to Paris. She founded three schools of dance and her likeness is carved over the entrance to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.
Isadora Duncan died of a broken neck and accidental strangulation when her scarf caught on the wheel of a car she was traveling in. The New York Times, succinctly and brutally described it thusly:
“The automobile was going at full speed when the scarf of strong silk began winding around the wheel and with terrific force dragged Miss Duncan, around whom it was securely wrapped, bodily over the side of the car, precipitating her with violence against the cobblestone street. She was dragged for several yards before the chauffeur halted, attracted by her cries in the street. Medical aid was summoned, but it was stated that she had been strangled and killed instantly.”
9. Christine Chubbuck (August 24, 1944 – July 15, 1974) [Wikipedia]
Manner of death: Suicide on live TV
Christine Chubbuck was the host of “Suncoast Digest” a well regarded public affairs program on WXLT-TV in Sarasota, Florida. Breaking format, her guest was waiting across the studio at the news anchor’s desk; Christine read eight minutes of national news stories before the tape reel malfunctioned while describing a shooting at the Beef and Bottle restaurant. Seemingly unfazed by the technical glitch, Christine looked into the camera and said:
“In keeping with Channel 40′s policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living color, you are going to see another first: an attempted suicide.”
Taking a revolver out from under her desk, she placed it behind her left ear and pulled the trigger (she learned this was the most effective way to commit suicide from the police while researching a project for her show). She tumbled violently forward as the technical director slowly faded to black. Some viewers called 911 while others called the station to see if it was real. Camerawoman Jean Reed later stated that she didn’t believe it to be genuine until she saw Christine’s body twitching on the floor.
10. Sharon Lopatka (September 20, 1961 – October 16, 1996) [Wikipedia]
Manner of death: Volunteered to be tortured and murdered
Sharon Lopatka was an internet entrepreneur and one sick puppy. Living in Hampstead, Maryland, USA, Sharon was killed by Robert Frederick Glass in a case of consensual homicide.
While advertising unusual fetishist pornography on her web site, Sharon began her hunt for a partner willing to torture and kill her for their mutual sexual gratification. After many false starts, of course most replies were not serious, she finally found Robert Glass; more than willing to fulfill her fantasy. They exchanged many messages, culminating in their meeting in North Carolina. Glass tortured her for several days before strangling her with a nylon cord. He was later convicted of voluntary manslaughter and possession of child pornography.
I once saw a tv special on Christine Chubbuck. Disturbing story. All of these are rather interesting. Good thing we had some of those nobility to teach us about gluttony…Too bad about Bacon. Good idea, bad execution.
You have two things wrong, at least.
Tycho Brahe did not die of a burst bladder. Rather, it was a urinary tract infection, brought on by the aforementioned "holding it too long." Recent evidence suggests, however, that mercury poisoning was to blame.
Neither did the girl who drank too much water at a radio contest. She died of hyponatremia, not a burst bladder.
That's exactly what it said about the lady at the contest!! HELLO?
are you one of those people who repeats, what someone else just finished saying, as if it were a revelation?
And, Andrea, are you one of those people who answers posts that are 3 years old? I'm not objecting you understand; I do the same thing. I figure even of the original poster has long since forgotten the site, someone else will read it.
There is a big case of Prentiaxtosnia here.
good list..i am suprised that jim bean diddnt make the list..he died after getting angry with his safe and kicked it …at least i think it was jim bean
That was Jack Daniels.
Do What Now: when I say they died in the same manner, I am referring to the fact that they did not go to the toilet when needing to. Also, Wikipedia says that for hundreds of years he was considered to have died of a strained bladder – they don’t say urinary tract infection.
Kelsi: imagine if he had succeeded – we might have had refrigerators in the 1600! It is pretty weird that he ate the chicken to heal himself though.
Monteze: that is similar to Lully – the French composer who accidentally stabbed his foot with his staff whilst conducting and died of gangrene later.
Wikipedia’s information is filled in by the general public.
It is not a reliable source if you want the truth.
Holy *****. I remember the Sharon Lopatka. I live in Finksburg, MD less than 8 miles from where she used to in Hampstead. It was all over the news for a while.
Cavalier – if you look at a few more posts you will see that I try to use as many sources as possible. I pay for Encylopaedia Britannica so you can all read the full articles that I reference.
Psycho Joe: Did you get to see the actual suicide? I would like to get a copy for the site but I can’t find one.
do what now- the girl from the wii contest didn’t die because of failing to use the restroom in time, she died from drinking to much water to quickly. She could’ve have used the restroom but it wouldn’t have helped because she died from having her brain swell up from the excess water in her system, not her bladder.
I thought the woman who died in the Wii fiasco died because the electrolytes in her bloodstream were so diluted with water that the brain could not send signals to the major organs. This caused a massive blood rush to the brain, resulting in hemmoraging. At least that’s what my anatomy teacher told me. A football player died during practice in the same way not too long ago.
About the wii woman, Matt’s anatomy teacher’s right. Also, I’m pretty sure she did win the competition.
The first few aren’t worthy of being on this list. So Bacon guy got pneumonia… how is that bizarre?
And the dentist… He committed suicide by cutting a vein because he fealt guilty for his actions…Oooh how WEIRD!
think about what they were doing before they died, i mean come on, dying cuz you were stuffing a chicken with snow? thats just messed up.
and the dentist used painkilling gas to help the process of his killing of himself
The name of the contest was hold your wee for a Wii…does no one ever do their research before making pages like this?
Chris: thank you – I have updated the article accordingly.
the Isadora Duncan one almost seems like one of those elaborate traps from the final destination movies.
fyi: the lady that died from the wii contest did not win the contest.
hmm: thanks for adding that.
zombiejorge: the less said about those films the better
How about the German guy that responded to an ad from a cannibal seeking a meal.
They guy even assisted in eating his own p***s (or tried to at least).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armin_Meiwes
tony3s: I chose lapotka over him because I thought she would be more well known thank Brandes (the guy killed by Meiwes) – he will definitely be on a future list though. Have you read the usenet archives of Meiwes original requests for a victim? It doesn’t say much but is still quite chilling knowing what the ultimate outcome was.
Why Attila is a villain?… Is he because he tried to make his empire bigger? or is he because he killed people in war(!) in the 5th century..?
tengiqut: probably the pillaging of villages.
I’m looking for the news about a recent incidence in a restaurant where a customer died because, when a bartender threw something at him, he tried to avoid the hit by twisting his head, only to broke his neck. Can anyone confirm this and give me some details?
Liiii: I haven’t heard of that – it is bizarre – I didn’t know you could even do that!
someone should take a look at this.
Story 9 from 1944. It states that people were calling 911 to see if it was a fake? Was 911 around then? It came to my ‘hood in the late 80′s. Maybe I just live in the sticks…
Steve – in 1944 (the year of her birth) the number would have been 0 for the operator. In the year of her death (1974), 911 was well established. (thanks Strych9 for pointing this out).
–”Story 9 from 1944. It states that people were calling 911 to see if it was a fake?” — I think stevoid misread the “1944″ in the heading. It’s actually Chubbuck’s year of birth. Her suicide happened in 1974.
strych9 – thanks for that – fixed the note above.
Interesting list, but I feel compelled to point out that the last two items suffer from drastic plagiarism. The Lopatka section is copied entirely word-for-word while the Chubbuck section does the same with the “Suicide” section from the referenced Wikipedia article.
It’s really not that hard to paraphrase.
Quiller: I am still going through all of the articles adding license information – verbatim copying of Wikipedia is permitted by their license. I have added license details at the bottom of the text of this article.
jfrater: Half-credit given due to missing the deadline, but half is better than zero.
ok, who in thier RIGHT MIND would volunteer to be murdered??
Bananas- No one. She obviously WASN’T in her right mind.
The Isadora Duncan obit is confusing, since it says the driver stopped after hearing her cries, yet she was strangled and died instantly. A horrible accident nonetheless.
Ya, I agree, aplspud. I dont get it.
Just wanted to let you know that manner of death is technically wrong. Manner refers to type, ie suicide, homicide, accidental, or natural. What you’re looking for is cause of death. Mechanism refers to the actual physiological/ anatomical reason for death.
omg thats insane!!! Who would even do something like that find someone to kil them? and torture them? i would never dream of finding someone like that….
All These Stories Were Quite Fascinating, Thanks Again. ;o)
i think that the way rasputin died is something that is continually changed. what i learned was something along the lines that this story was written, but slightly different. nonetheless, it’s always fun to read about him.
Liii-
If we’re thinking of the same thing, the guy was at a restaurant where the meal was cooked tableside. The cook toosed a piece of food for him to catch in his mouth. In trying to catch it, the guy injured his neck. At some point he went for surgery to correct the damage and died of complications.
I can’t believe anyone would voluntarily be tortured and then murdered. People are so strange.
Sharon Lopatka gives me the creeps. Some people are so freakishly messed up. I once had a girl tell me that she wished Hostel was real so that she could get rich and torture people to death. I don’t talk to her anymore.
Wasn’t there a government guy that committed suicide during a press conference in the 50s? I remember seeing a black & white clip where he pulls out a paper bag (lunch bag size) and pulls a revolver out of it, puts it to his head and pulls the trigger. As soon as the reporters see the gun they start shouting and trying to get him to put the gun down but before anyone can get near him he shoots himself. I can’t remember his name though but he was being investigated for bribes and stealing money or something like that.
Also wasn’t there another news anchorwoman that committed suiced on live tv by jumping over the Niagra Falls some years ago? I wonder what ever happens to the news footage of those kind of events?
frazzzld: they are both on lists here – public suicides I think
There might even be some of the footage from one of them.
jfrater:
OK that smiley face after the mention of public suicides is a little disturbing :\ haha
jfrater: oops thanks fot that… I haven’t finished going through all the sections of the site yet.
I’m just not able to find anything on public suicides on the lists… can you be a little more specific as to where I can find it? Thanks.
Okay.. nevermind … I found it. Thanks
My dance instructor told me about how Isadora Duncan died, since she also likes to wear long scarves.
Amazing list I just love those there’s a few I didn’t know Thanks!
“someone should take a look at this.
The killer was declared unfit to stand trial and extradited back to Japan, where he was released from custody within fifteen months.”
Too Unfit to stand trial, but not unfit enough to be removed from society?!?
Frazzzld: Yeah, that guys name was Bud Dwyer. Quite a shocking video, I remember seeing it on Ogrish.com before it changed over to liveleak.
The last two definatly had some issues,dont you think?
Sharon Lopatka… Dark, deviant, messed up? I think so..
BUT…… How kinky must her last few days have been? Its one thing to fantasize, but to apply reality to such a perversion is pure art. I find the cruelest twist in this tale is the lack of actual recorded footage!
A movie of her search, culminating in her torture and death will one day make an edgy, ambitious film-maker very prestigious. As the media has supressed our ability to be shocked, one needs deeper, darker gratification to make an impact.. Nothing hits harder than a true story.
I would be very interested to art direct this project.
/\LOL
excellent list once again, dear Jamie. I really do applaud your efforts:)
the live suicide is kinda scary, but iot does fascinate me…i’m off to wikipedia:)
how about the story of the 10 year old boy who shot himself in the head in front of his elementary school? his name was jorge david licea.
wow as disturbing as some of these are, they kinda fascinate me.Should i be worried?lol